NEWS

Associate Professor Emilia S. HEO of the College of Asia Pacific Studies (APS) has been awarded the Distinguished Excellence in Teaching International Studies Prize in June 2026 by the British International Studies Association (BISA), a UK-based academic association for international relations scholars. The prizes awarded annually by BISA are globally recognized honors that celebrate outstanding achievements in research, teaching, and public engagement in the field of International Studies. HEO received the award in recognition of her innovative teaching approach that invites students to experience and learn about our world through aesthetic means.

At APU, professor HEO teaches courses in International Relations and Peace Studies. In her classes, students are given opportunities to express their thoughts and produce learning outcomes through visual arts (photography, painting, drawing), music, literature (novels, poems) and creative performance (dance, theatre play, game show, musical). According to HEO, these activities not only help students to get more interested in the subject but also to approach their life-worlds positively by developing “new imaginary ways for the future” that they might not easily reach through exams or academic writing.

As students at APU come from more than 100 countries and regions carrying diverse cultural and historical backgrounds, HEO witnessed that their national narratives often clash when discussing peace and war that leads to moments of discomfort or silence. She therefore decided to read novels and poems with them to offer a locus where students feel freer to express and interact with each other to address their painful past. This nonconventional approach allowed students to see the issues from the eyes of others and to engage in deeper sharing without being confined solely to state centered perspectives.

Through creative activities such as drawing and performance, students became active participants rather than mere observers in the learning process. ‘Visualizing Peace’ project for instance invites students to pick up a pencil and draw an image of peace. This simple exercise fostered a more inclusive classroom environment as they became curious about their classmates’ artwork which pushed them to carefully listen to each other and actively react regardless of their language skill.

In an introductory course to International Relations, students participate in a group project named ‘Designing WW2 Museum on APU campus’. Working with classmates who may not necessarily hold same historical perspectives, students were constantly exposed to reflect on history from both sides and negotiate with their groupmates to design the museum with a spirit of collaboration.

Since the earlier stage of her career path in diplomacy and academia, professor HEO always questioned how to contribute to transform cultural diversity, often seen as a source of conflict, to one of humanity’s greatest beauties.
Through her teaching and research, she aims to cultivate a sense of care for humanity among learners. From designing the course to the last day of teaching, she hopes that learning IR through aesthetic lens enables students to develop their own peace agency and to nurture empathy for world politics.

“Subjects and issues in International Relations tend to focus on the dark side of the world,” HEO explains. “Using art offers a chance for students to see the world differently. By drawing or performing on peace and reconciliation, I observed that, when faced with pessimist political reality, they often discuss and express hope more easily than with writing-based activities such as exams or term papers.”

Professor HEO’s educational practice of using arts in IR empowers students to envision the kind of world they wish to see in their everyday lives and to engage proactively in shaping that future. This BISA award highlights the international recognition of her innovative and impactful approach to teaching.